Sometimes the absolute worst thing that can happen to a character is having someone they care about die and they couldn’t do anything about it. I started thinking about those horror movie moments where someone is forced to watch someone else die. Moments like that really add to the emotion and intensity of the scene. So today, I’m sharing some of the moments that stuck with me the most. I hope you enjoy and let me know which “I can’t help you” moments affected you the most! (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

When Meg Couldn’t Help Paul – The Blob (1988)

Meg Penny (Shawnee Smith) and Paul Taylor (Donovan Leitch Jr.) were the popular jock and cheerleader having their first date on the town. While driving, they almost hit a hysterical old man with a strange substance completely covering his hand. They rushed him to the hospital and they thought he was going to be all right. When Paul later checked on him, he and the doctor saw the old man’s bottom half was completely devoured. Paul ran to another room to call the sheriff, but that’s where the strange substance found him. It had grown into a giant amorphous blob and it fell right on top of him. Meg, hearing Paul’s scream, went to check on him. She walked in and saw Paul being completely devoured by the blob. She grabbed his arm that was sticking out and tried her best to pull him out. It was too late, however, and the blob’s acidic saliva tore right through his arm, causing Meg to fall back and hit her head. Meg really tried, but she didn’t have a chance against this creature. Well, not in that moment.

When Elena Couldn’t Help Missy – The Collection

After her boyfriend bailed on their date, Elena Peters (Emma Fitzpatrick) joined her friends, Missy (Johanna Braddy) and Josh (Michael Nardelli) to an underground club that’s ultra-exclusive. The evening started out just fine until Elena found her boyfriend there with another woman. She punched him and ran to the bathroom to comprehend what just happened. There, she found a large case in the middle of the room. When she opened it, it set off deadly traps in the entire club, killing most of the people in it. As Missy was trying to find her, she and a few of the other survivors became trapped in a square cage. The man who rigged the traps, only known as The Collector (Randall Archer), stood on top of the cage’s roof. He lowered the roof of the cage very slowly, and Elena tried to get Missy out. With nowhere to go, Missy and the other victims were slowly crushed in front of Elena’s eyes. She lost her best friend and couldn’t even mourn as The Collector soon after set his sights on her.

When Amy Couldn’t Help Tamara – See No Evil 2

Amy (Danielle Harris) was an undertaker having to work on her birthday due to a couple of murder victims and their killer, Jacob Goodnight (Glenn Jacobs), being brought in. Not wanting to miss out on her best friend’s birthday, Tamara (Katharine Isabelle) gathered the rest of their friends and surprised her with an impromptu corpse party. As Tamara snuck off to see Jacob’s body with her boyfriend, they had sex while Jacob woke up and got off the table. Then Jacob killed Tamara’s boyfriend and started his rampage against the others. As Tamara hid in one room with Amy’s co-worker, Amy hid in the next room with her brother. As Jacob entered Tamara’s room with a large blade, he almost found Tamara. Knowing she needed to do something, Amy banged on the window and yelled, distracting him long enough for Tamara to run. Jacob wasn’t stupid though, and when Tamara got close enough, she swung his blade back and caught her right in the throat. Amy and Tamara shared one last look and Amy had to watch as Tamara’s blood hit the window. It was very tragic and horrifying.

When Zoey Couldn’t Help Rachel & Brianna – Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions

After narrowly escaping a deadly escape room trap, Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell) was hellbent on tracking down the organization behind it and exposing them. With her friend and fellow survivor, Ben (Logan Miller), Zoey headed to New York to follow a lead. They got more than they bargained for as they were pulled into another twisted round of games. With other people who survived these games, Zoey and Ben did the best they could to make it through each room. By the final room, there were only 3 left, Zoey, Rachel (Holland Roden), and Brianna (Indya Moore). They had to race against the clock to avoid getting acid rained down on them. They worked together and they were able to get the taxi in the middle of the room open. Zoey leapt in, but the door shut, preventing Rachel and Brianna from getting in. Zoey tried to kick the door open with all her might, but time was up and Zoey had to watch the acid shower them.

When Sondra Couldn’t Help Phil – Halloween Kills

Sondra (Diva Tyler) and Phil (Lenny Clarke) Dickerson were enjoying a quiet Halloween evening in their home. While playing with a toy drone Sondra crashed it in the dark hallway. As Phil tried to fly it back, someone in the hallway threw it back into their living room. As Phil snuck closer to see who was in their house, Sondra grabbed a bottle for a weapon. As Phil turned the light on, he saw a strange man in a mask, escaped lunatic, Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney), hiding in their bathroom. As Michael attacked Phil, Sondra tired to escape out of the door, but she couldn’t. Michael grabbed their kitchen light bulb, smashed it, and stabbed her right in the neck. As she was bleeding out, Michael dragged Phil into the kitchen, and forced her to watch as he drove every knife they had into Phil’s back. It’s such a gut-wrenching moment that she’ll never forget.